Access to this page has been denied because we believe you are using automation tools to browse the website. Photo Gallery Sorry there are no photos! Keep your eye on the new kid on the hybrid block. We weren’t wrong, the Sonata Hybrid kicked butt.

After its first three months on the market, the newbie established itself as the second best selling gas-electric in the United States, trailing only the indomitable Toyota Prius, a position it maintained through the end of 2011. Buyers were also enticed by the Sonata’s eye-riveting styling and tech-rich standard equipment at a price that was difficult to pass up. 55 price bump from the 2011 model. Balancing Highway and City MPG Hyundai went its own direction on hybrid technology by developing original proprietary hybrid architecture to reduce weight and to improve highway fuel economy.

Unlike hybrid systems from Ford and Toyota, the Hyundai system does not use a continuously variable transmission with integrated electric motors and generators. Instead, Hyundai employed its new six-speed automatic transmission with an electric motor that takes the place of the torque converter. The full hybrid architecture allows the vehicle to operate on an electric motor only, a gasoline internal combustion engine only, or a combination of the two depending on driving conditions and driver demands. It also saves gas by automatically shutting off the gas engine when the car is stopped.